1. Technical Field
The present device is an ambulatory stroller for persons who experience difficulty balancing while upright.
2. Background Information
Many older patients, particularly those with Alzheimer""s disease, become disoriented while walking, which causes them to fall and hurt themselves. Such patients may, for example, have dementia, Parkinson""s disease, inner ear problems, severe osteoporosis, or multiple sclerosis, or be postoperative. Although these problems/diseases are more common among geriatric patients, these patients may be middle aged or even young. Keeping them bedridden or bound in a chair is not a viable alternative, since that can create worse problems, such as bedsores, muscular atrophy, and depression.
With the aging baby boomers generation, the numbers of such patients are on the increase. Not all of these patients are in hospitals or nursing homes; many aging parents are being cared for in individual homes, too. The problem has become serious, with increasing attendant expense to the general population for CT scans and medical procedures for diagnosing and treating injuries from such falls. These injuries are physically painful for the patients, and emotionally painful for their caregivers.
Traditional canes and walkers are not adequate for such patients. Confused patients often find it prohibitively difficult to use a cane. They can easily fall backward or tip over when using a walker, and they often simply wander away from it. There is a serious and immediate need among such patients for a device to permit them to ambulate, yet prevent them from falling while doing so. A stroller which also prevents them from wandering off is even more advantageous.
The present invention is a stroller for helping an individual to ambulate, the stroller comprising: (a) an upper ring assembly, comprising an upper ring member and a hinged upper gate segment having an open position and a closed position; (b) a lower ring assembly, comprising a lower ring member, the upper ring member being substantially parallel to and above the lower ring member; (c) a seat assembly connected to the upper ring member; (d) at least three spaced-apart legs connecting the lower ring member to the upper ring member; and (e) at least three spaced-apart wheels connected to the base of the lower ring member.
The stroller, then, includes two rigid tubular ring members that are parallel to one another and horizontal to the walking surface. The upper ring member has a diameter that is between about xc2xc and xc2xd, most preferably xc2xd, of the diameter of the lower ring member. The upper ring member is sized to substantially fit a large adult""s torso. There are preferably five inclined, telescoping legs.
The lower ring member is only a few inches, depending on the wheel diameter, from the walking surface. The lower ring member most preferably has a diameter just under the standard width of hospital or nursing home doorways, so that the user can pass through the doorways once they are hooked into the stroller. However, the lower ring member""s diameter must be about twice that of the upper ring member, so that the device will remain stable. The lower ring member preferably also includes a hinged lower gate segment, which opens and closes at the same time as the hinged upper gate segment. In those embodiments without a lower hinged gate segment, the user simply steps over the lower ring member to enter the device.
This invention permits such patients to ambulate, yet largely prevents them from falling while doing so. Since they can be secured into the stroller, they are also prevented from wandering off. Strollers of the present invention are relatively inexpensive, especially when cost savings for fewer CT scans and medical procedures for diagnosing and treating injuries from these falls are taken into account. With the present device in general use, the number of painful injuries and deaths from such falls can be reduced. Also, the patients feel more independent, and the caregivers have more free time for themselves and to perform other tasks.